Transmission And Evolution Of The Yuan, Ming And Qing Period Cowherd And Weaver Literature

Altair and Vega,two of the brightest stars in the sky,were formerly the subject of star worship among the primitive society.Later on,they became the protagonists of the love story between Niulang and Zhinü~1,a fairy tale on the lips of every household in China.From Early Qin Dynasty(21st Centry B.C.～221 B.C.) to Han Dynasty (206B.C—200A.C),the fairy tale of Niulang and Zhinübecame popular among the common people,and thereupon developed and multiplied until it took shape in Wei-Jin Dynasty and Southen and Northen Dynasties(189～589).The embryonic form of the fairy talc can bc found in Zhang Hua's Record of Natural History and Yin Yun's Xiaoshuo as well,with the latter becoming the nucleus and radiation source of its development and evolvement.During Wei-Jin Dynasty(220～420),as the story of Niulang and Zhinümarried with the legend of Qixi Festival~2,it started to shine brightly in the hall of literature and became popular among the folk culture.However, during Tang Dynasty(618～907) and Song Dynasty(960～1127) the story of Niulang and Zhinüdeviated in The Records of Spiritual Beings,which was featured by the love affairs between Guo Han and the weaving maid descending from heaven,their love story becoming the theme for literati thereafter.In these two dynasties,Qixi Poetry prospered to a considerable degree due to the popularization of Qixi Custom among the then society.Although in Ming Dynasty(1368～1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644～1912) when the literature of Niulang and Zhinüentered into its golden age, Qixi Poetry still went on along the road set by Tang Poems and Song Ci.The story between Niulang and Zhinii also became the focus of narrative literatures such as drama and fiction.For instance,works such as the New Block-Printed and Pictured Story of Niulang and Zhinu by Zhu Mingshi in Wanli Period(1573～1620) of Ming Dynasty and Legendary Double Star Picture by Zou Shan of Qing Dynasty were all evolved from the prototype as new literary works.It became a habitual activity in Qing Dynasty to have some Cheng Ying Drama performed as a celebration both in the royal court and in local areas.An example is that there were two dramas called qixiang baozhang and shinüqixiao in Shengpingshu Yueling Cheng Ying Drama which were circulated at that time.The Love Story Between Niulang and Zhinüin Late Qing Dynasty and Early Republic of China was a Ming-Qing Chapters Novel formed on the basis of the musical telling by folk artisan.It was the basic form of the love story between Niulang and Zhinii in modern times.In the final analysis,the evolvement of the story between Niulang and Zhinüproceeded on the basis of narrative literatures such as Yin Yun Xiaoshuo,Guo Han,The New Block-Printed and Pictured Story of Niulang and Zhinu,Love Story Between the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid,and Legendary Double Star Picture,Qixi Poetry in subsequent dynasties,as well as the folk tales or story-telling,with the latter inheriting the essence of the former,and together they joined hands in pushing the story to go ahead. The author endeavors to outline the evolvement of the love story between Niulang and Zhinii in Yuan,Ming,and Qing Dynasties by analyzing the fiction and drama featured by Niulang and Zhinii and with the aid of Qixi Poetry as an proof.Although in Yuan,Ming,and Qing Dynasties the folk tales of the love story between Niulang and Zhinüwere circulated orally among the common people,yet due to lack of related written records,they are not included in this paper.Nevertheless,the popular literature or folk literature in that period exerted an unprecedented influence on elegant literature or scholar-bureaucrat literature.Therefore,literary works of Niulang an Zhinii of that period basically offered an rough idea of what the works looked like at that time.